Parsortix Update

RNS Number : 9682V

Angle PLC

23 January 2012

 



For immediate release

23 January 2012

ANGLE plc ("the Company")

Parsortix Update

CAPTURE OF CIRCULATING TUMOUR CELLS (CTCs) IN CANCER PATIENT BLOOD

ANGLE plc (AIM: AGL) is delighted to announce that Parsortix Inc ("Parsortix"), its 90% owned portfolio company which specialises in medical diagnostics has achieved a major milestone by using its cell separation device to successfully capture circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in cancer patient blood. 

ANGLE has previously established that its Parsortix separation technology can capture cultured breast cancer cells, prostate cancer cells and lung cancer cells added to blood (spiked blood).  However until now, the Parsortix separation technology had not been proven to capture CTCs in actual cancer patient blood. This is significant as actual cancer patient blood would be expected to contain only a very small number of CTCs in the sample (if any), as well as potential issues due to patient disease factors adversely affecting the performance of the separation technology.      

Working in the University of Surrey's oncology department, and utilising their access to cancer patient blood, the Parsortix team has undertaken a series of small volume 1ml separations of the blood of late stage prostate cancer patients.  The blood has passed successfully through the device with similar characteristics to the spiked healthy blood and in a number of separations captured tumour cells were clearly identified and confirmed by the University of Surrey's oncology team.  The results compare favourably with the existing FDA approved antibody-based capture technology. 

The experimental findings to date are encouraging and support the potential to develop a successful research and clinical cancer diagnostic product.

Development of the Parsortix separation technology is proceeding to plan and we are on track with the next key milestones, which are:

·     Validation of the separation device for other cancer types, particularly those where the existing antibody affinity capture technology is unable to capture CTCs, such as ovarian cancer;

·     The optimisation of the separation device to allow its easy use in the laboratory addressing critical factors of increasing the volume of blood that can be screened and the speed of blood flow through the device; and

·     Independent third party validation of the performance of the Parsortix CTC separation device by leading cancer research centres.

The Parsortix separation technology offers the potential for a CTC isolation, capture and characterisation device, irrespective of cancer type for: 

·     Early detection of cancer;

·     Monitoring of cancer patients during treatment; and

·     Post-treatment monitoring of cancer patients in remission.

It may be possible to use the captured CTCs for molecular profiling to help define tumour biology and risk of progression.

Parsortix Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Dr George Hvichia, commented:

"We are very enthusiastic to have worked with our first outside collaborative team to achieve the first independent validation of clinical CTC isolation in our device by a leading cancer research centre."

Head of the University of Surrey Oncology Department, Professor Hardev Pandha, commented:

"The University of Surrey is delighted to be working with ANGLE on this novel approach to CTC capture.  Effective monitoring of the level of CTCs in patients' blood offers great potential for the improvement of cancer treatment."    

ANGLE Founder and Chief Executive, Andrew Newland, commented:

"The successful capture of CTCs in cancer patient blood is a tremendous step forward towards our goal of establishing the Parsortix separation technology as a market-leading product, which is simple, effective and affordable."

For further information:

ANGLE plc	01483 685830
Andrew Newland, Chief Executive Ian Griffiths, Finance Director
Cenkos Securities Stephen Keys, Adrian Hargrave (Nominated adviser) Andy Roberts (Sales)	020 7397 8900
Buchanan Lisa Baderoon	020 7466 5000
Scott Harris Stephen Scott, Harry Dee	0207 653 0030

About the University of Surrey's Oncology Department

http://www2.surrey.ac.uk/pgms/research/cancer/index.htm  

The oncology group at the Postgraduate Medical School, University of Surrey are a multidisciplinary team of cancer physicians and scientists who have an aim to develop, evaluate and deliver novel cancer therapies to patients. They have specialist expertise in urological and ovarian cancers, and conduct early phase trials across most cancer types.

The team is led by Prof Hardev Pandha, a clinician scientist and consultant in medical oncology, and Dr Richard Morgan, Senior lecturer in molecular oncology.  In particular the group have the expertise and facilities to undertake human studies of targeted cancer therapies, cancer vaccines and oncolytic viral therapy. Clinical trials are conducted at St Luke's Cancer Centre, in the neighbouring Royal Surrey County Hospital.

A particular strength of the group has been the emphasis on translational science associated with the trials. This includes the collection, archiving and evaluation of patient tissue and blood for biomarkers and discovery. The group currently numbers 24, has state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and scientific expertise to undertake new research projects with potential collaborators. The group has published 110 peer reviewed scientific papers since they moved to Surrey in 2006.

 

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